Ukraine Counterattacks Along Entire Front As Putin-Ordered Assaults Backfire

Both because he wanted to show off to President Trump and because it is the nature of the Russian military to keep attacking even when it is reckless to do, the Russians seized on their unexpected infiltration at Pokrovsk as an opportunity. The problem was that they were incapable of backing it up. 

So, Ukraine, seeing the Russians' vulnerability struck - and struck hard - and have continued to do so not just at Pokrovsk, but along the entire front. The Russians have stripped most other sectors of troops and equipment in order to try to take Pokrovsk. Which has created Ukrainian opportunities everywhere else. The result is that Putin's aggression backfired - again (as usual?) - and his troops are now losing more ground. JL

Euromaidan Press reports:

Russia’s 700,000-person army attacked aggressively, some might say recklessly, all along the 700-mile front line. The effort backfired. The Russian 51st Combined Arms Army failed to support its infantry outside Pokrovsk, leaving the Russian salient vulnerable to counterattack. In three eastern sectors in addition to Pokrovsk, the Ukrainians have counterattacked and the Russians are losing ground all along the eastern front. At Torske in the Lyman sector, along the Zherebets River and in the Serebryanski Forest, Ukraine retains the initiative by not only conducting active defense and efficiently absorbing Russian attacks but also reclaiming ground whenever opportunities are created. 

Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin was desperate to project strength in the weeks leading up to his Aug. 15 summit with U.S. Pres. Donald Trump in Alaska.

Russia’s 700,000-person army of occupation in Ukraine attacked aggressively, some might say recklessly, all along the 700-mile front line—ultimately breaking through Ukrainian lines northeast of the fortress city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.

The effort backfired. The Russian 51st Combined Arms Army failed to support its infantry marching through undermanned Ukrainian trenches outside Pokrovsk, leaving the Russian salient vulnerable to counterattack.

“Russia way over-extended,” American analyst Andrew Perpetua explained. And in at least three other eastern sectors in addition to Pokrovsk, the Ukrainians have counterattacked in recent days. Now the Russians are losing ground all along the eastern front line. From the Lyman direction. Here, Russians press forward and are rapidly burning through their forces, attacking Ukrainians from all sides. Holding an active defense, the Ukrainian Third Army Corps is hitting back hard, denying the Russians new territory and taking advantage of their most exposed positions to make new significant territorial gains of their own.

Battle for Torske

Russian forces continue to push towards Torske from all sides, but Ukrainian defenders from the 63rd and 60th Mechanized Brigades are defending proactively. They are preventing the enemy from consolidating or entrenching inside the settlement by targeting Russians during their deployment to the frontline.

Russian troops push on Torske, but Ukraine’s 63rd and 60th Brigades strike before they can dig in. Photo: Screenshot from the video

Drone strikes and destroyed BMPs

In the nearby Serebryanski Forest, Russian troops have pushed deeper through its natural cover to move into Torske by maintaining as small a profile as possible and crawling past Ukrainian positions at night. However, the Russians failed to stay undetected throughout the day, and geolocated footage shows a Ukrainian tank firing at close range into their positions in the ruins of the settlement. The infiltrators tried to seek cover in the trees but were followed by the armored vehicle and eliminated with another series of devastating shots.

In another engagement involving rarely seen armored vehicles, Ukrainian FPV drone operators destroyed two Russian BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles near Terny, trying to deploy assault groups to attack Torske from the north. Both vehicles became immobilized after hitting mines, and their surviving crew members and dismounted infantry were subsequently eliminated.

A Ukrainian tank opened fire in Serebryanski Forest after Russian troops crawling toward Torske failed to stay hidden. Photo: Screenshot from the video

Impact of this engagement

• The loss of both BMPs and their crews halted any momentum the Russians hoped to build in that direction.
• It underscores the effectiveness of Ukrainian drone warfare in neutralizing even heavily armored targets before they can influence the battle.

Ukrainian command strategy

While Torske holds some tactical value, the Ukrainian command has made it clear they will not sacrifice their men to defend it at all costs. A mobile and active defensive posture is essential, prioritizing the lives of soldiers and maintaining the combat capabilities of brigades over clinging to a single defense line.

Two lost BMPs and their crews halted the Russian advance in that direction. Photo: Screenshot from the video

Russian weakness on the Zherebets River

Along the Russian bridgehead across the Zherebets River, the situation is very different. The Russians are overextended, and their most vulnerable positions are constantly under heavy Ukrainian fire without Russian artillery being able to respond without exposing itself on the bank. Russian soldiers have to move 15 kilometers on foot at a crawling pace to avoid immediate detection by Ukrainian drones, making any reinforcement attempts costly, slow, and any rapid response impossible.

Overextended on the Zherebets, Russian troops crawl 15 km under drones as Ukrainian fire pins down their artillery. Photo: Screenshot from the video

Recapture of Ridkodub

Due to this, Ukrainians were able to conduct a counterattack and exploit the enemy’s weaknesses. Fighters from various brigades within the Third Army Corps recently recaptured Ridkodub, striking precisely where Russian forces were most exposed.

Geolocated first-person footage shows Ukrainian assault troops moving through tree lines and clearing them of forward enemy positions before moving into the rural buildings of the village. Videos from several different soldiers show in detail how the Ukrainian operators clear basement after basement, being guided in real time by drone operators and their officers in field headquarters. After killing, wounding, and capturing dozens of Russian soldiers, the Ukrainians take various enemy documents and weapons as intel and trophies and secure the area.

A ground drone delivered ammo at night and evacuated a wounded soldier on its return. Photo: Screenshot from the video

Key elements of the operation

• Use of a ground drone system to deliver ammunition and supplies to soldiers at night.
• Evacuation of a wounded comrade on the drone’s return trip, highlighting the adaptability of Ukrainian air and ground drone tactics.

Ridkodub is now fully cleared of Russian presence. Given the logistical difficulties for Russian forces — needing to move artillery, drones, and infantry across the river while avoiding constant Ukrainian surveillance — the enemy advance here has to start from scratch.

Ukraine retains the initiative

Overall, Ukrainian forces in the Lyman sector are solving their issues by not only conducting active defense and efficiently absorbing Russian attacks but also reclaiming ground whenever opportunities are created. This takes the initiative away from the Russians and prevents them from making gains in the area.